Oil tester



Patented Dec. 3l, 1935 UNITED vSTATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to oil testers Aand. more especially to means for visually determining the condition of the lubricating oil in the crank case of an internal combustion engine.

The objects of the invention are to provide an instrument with which a quantity of the lubricating oil may be withdrawn from the crank case of the engine and visually observed to determine the condition of the oil with respect to deteriora- Y tion, diccloration and increased opacity incident to use, to provide means for magnifying a part of the oil withdrawn from the engine to detect any sediment in the oil and toprovide universally adjustable light reflecting means which make possible the illumination of the oil from any light source whatsoever for the proper observation of the magnified portion lof the oil.

These and other objects of the invention Will become more readily apparent from a detailed description of one embodiment thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the oil tester.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional View of the oil tester, the section being taken on the line 22o-2m of Figure 1.

' Figure 3 is a front elevation of the oil tester.

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the lower portion of the oil tester, the section being taken on the line 4x4ar of Figure 3.

In the several figures of the drawing like reference numerals indicate like parts.

Referring more in detail to the figures of the drawing, the preferred embodiment illustrated comprises a glass tube I which is fastened and sealed into the sleeve 2 by the nipple 3 at the bottom and the cap 4 at the top thereof. Within the glass tube is mounted the piston 5 which isr operated thru the piston rod 6 by the handle l. The nipple 3 has the duct 8 leading therethru in line with the glass tube and a flexible tubing 9 is fastened to the nipple by means of the sleeve nut I0 to provide a flexible extension of this duct. The flexible tubing has a rigid tube extension I I at the outer end thereof so as to provide an intake that Will readily project into the oil when the flexible tubing is inserted intol the crank case.

The front of the sleeve 2 is provided with the longitudinal slit I2 and diagonally opposite thereto at the back of the sleeve is provided the slit I3. When therefore oil is drawn into the glass tube I by the piston 5, the oil may be visually observed in the gauge tube by looking into the slit I2. The slit I3 in the sleeve 2 admits suificient light into the back ofthe gauge tube to provide the proper illumination `of the oil for the inspection of the condition of the oil with respect to its deterioration, discoloration and increased opacity incident to use.

This examination gives a fair indication of 'the condition of the oil, but may be misleading as to 5 the sediment and carbon that is contained therein. For this reason the oil tester so far described is combined with magnifying means. This consists of a horizontalsight tube I4 which projects from the front of the glass tube I in line with the slit I2 in the sleeve 2 near the bottom thereof. Mounted in the outer end of this sight tube in focus with the center of the glass tube is the magnifying lens I5. This magnifying lens is held in place by the cap I6 which is provided with the sight opening I 1.

At the back of the glass tube diametrically opposite to the sight tube I4 and in line therewith is provided the light tube I8. 'I'his light tube is adapted to rotate on a short extension of the sight tube I4 and is enlarged at the outer end to hold the convex reilector I9. This reilector is also focused on the center of the glass tube and is adapted to collect and focus the light entering the opening 20 onto the oil located in the glass tube.

By examining the oil thru the magnifying lens, any foreign matter contained in the cil which is not clearly visible to the-naked eye is made visible due to the enlargement of it and the intense i1- lumination thereof by means of the light .1reflector.

In the use of the tester during the day, light can enter thru the slit I3 in the sleeve 2 above and below the extension of the sight tube as indi- 5 cated at 2l and 22 in Figure 4 and this is su'- cient for the illumination of the portion of the oil in the gauge glass which is being magnified.

At night however, or at any time when articial light is required for illumination, this light source 40 may be of any kind and located anywhere as the light tube can be turned in'to any angular position to bring its opening in line with the light source to permit sufficient light to be collected and focused onto the oill by the reflector I9. A iiash light held to project its light into the opening 20 of the sight tube will produce ideal illumi nation of the oil.

After the glass tube has been filled with oil and the flexible tube with its intake extension pipe 50 is withdrawn from the crank case, the intake is slipped into the blind sleeve 23 at the back of the nipple 3 and held in place therein by a suitable sleeve nut 24. This closes the end of the intake pipe and keeps the tube from draining or 55 dripping while the oil is being tested as above described.

I claim:

1. In an oil tester for visually examining lubricating oil, the combination of a transparent tube having an inlet at the bottom thereof, a sleeve having a pair of longitudinal slots at diametrically opposite sides surrounding said transparent tube, a sight tubeV mounted upon said sleeve at right angles from said sleeve iny line with said longitudinal slots and a magnifying lens in said sight tube in focus with said transparent tube, a piston mounted in said transparent tube and means for operating said piston to cause the oil to enter said inlet and rise in said transparent tube to the level of said sight tube.

2. In an oil tester for visually examining lubricating oil, the combination of a transparent tube having an inlet at the bottom thereof, a sight tube extending from said transparent tube substantially at right angles thereto; a sleeve having a pair of longitudinal slots at diametrically opposite sides thereof surrounding said tube, a piston mounted in said transparent tube and means for operating said piston to cause the oil to enter said inlet and rise in said transparent tube to the level of said sight tube, a cap at the top of vsaid sleeve and a nipple at the bottom of said sleeve for locking and sealing said tube into said sleeve, a flexible intake extending from said nipple, a rigid extension on the end of said flexible intake and combined holding and closing means in the side of said nipple to receive and hold said rigid extension of said intake to keep it from dripping and keep said piston from forcing the oil from said transparent tube.

3. In an oil tester for visually examining lubricating oil, the combination of a transparent tube having an inlet at the bottom thereof adapted to receive the oil to be tested, a sight tube laterally extending from one side of said tube, a light tube having an opening in the wall thereof extending laterally from the opposite side of said tube and a reflector closing the end of said light tube and arranged to reflect the light entering the opening in said light tube against said transparent tube, a piston mounted in said transparent tube and means for operating said piston to cause the oil to enter said inlet and rise in said transparent tube to the level of said sight tube.

4. In an oil tester for visually examining lubrieating oil, the combination of a transparent tube having an inlet at the bottom thereof adapted to receive the oil to be tested, a sight tube laterally extending from one side of said transparent tube, a magnifying lens mounted in said sight 5 tube, a light tube laterally extending from the opposite side of said transparent tube, a reflector housing having an opening in the side wall thereof mounted to rotate at the end of said sight tube and a reflector mounted in said housing to reect 10 the light entering said opening onto said transparent tube.

5. In an oil tester for visually examining lubricating oil, the combination of a transparent tube having an inlet at the bottom thereof, an opaque 1;, tubing surrounding said transparent tube having a pair of longitudinal slits at diametrically opposite sides thereof, a horizontal sight tube extending laterally from the bottom of one of said slits and an extension of said sight tube extending 3U laterally from the slit. in the opposite side of said tube with the slit extending above and below said sight tube extension, a piston mounted in said transparent tube and means for operating said piston to cause the oil to enter said inlet and rise 2:5 in said transparent tube to the level of said sight tube.

6. In a combined sample withdrawing and testing instrument for withdrawing a sample quantity of liquid from a container and raising it to a 3Q predetermined elevation in the instrument for visually examining the liquid, the combination of a transparent tube, a sight tube carried by said transparent tube intermediate the ends thereof, an inlet at the bottom of said transparent tube,

4a piston mounted within said transparent tube and a handle for operating said piston at the top of said transparent tube to permit the operation of said piston to cause the liquid to rise in the transparent tube to a level in line with said 40 sight tube and move said piston above the level of the sight tube.

7 In a combined sample withdrawing and testing instrument as set forth in claim 6 in combination with bendable means connected to the inlet of the transparent tube for temporarily holding the liquid in the transparent tube and permit the intake of the liquid, the testing and the discharge thereof with the tube in a substantially vertical position.

GUSTAVE A, BRANDLIN. 

